Trinidad and Tobago stunned Bermuda 2-0 at the National Sports Centre in Hamilton on the night of Sunday, June 22nd to advance to the Concacaf semifinal round for World Cup 2010 in South Africa. The Soca Warriors needed to win by two clear goals to advance after Bermuda shocked the local team 2-1 at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya, one week before. The semifinal round, which begins in September, will also include the US, Guatemala, and Cuba. Two teams will then move forward to the final round in 2009. Playing in white, the Warriors got their goals from Darryl Roberts (6th) and the prolific Stern John (68th). But the score line could have been wider had the Warriors strikers been on target throughout the 90-minute affair. The Warriors launched an assault on the Bermuda team from the very first minute, and got just reward when Roberts eluded the home team's defense and scored in the sixth minute. The Bermuda team, ranked 139th in the world, went on the defensive, hardly trying to counter-attack to keep their chances alive. The defeat ended Bermuda's chances at the World Cup. That country has never got past the first round. In 1992, the Soca Warriors were booted out in the first preliminary round after failing to get past Jamaica. The national team lost 1-2 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, and drew 1-1 in the return encounter in Kingston. There were high expectations for T&T after the national team came close in 1989, failing to earn a draw against the United States in Port-of-Spain to earn a historic place at the World Cup in Italy 1990. The US beat T&T 1-0 to advance. It took T&T 14 years to recover from that early exit. In 2005, T&T defeated Bahrain 1-0 in that country to earn a place in the World Cup finals in Germany in 2006
Caribbean
Sports News
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Former Brazilian football star Pele has been robbed by an armed gang while on his way to his seaside home.
As many as 10 people were reported to have been involved in the robbery, but Pele was unhurt in the incident. He was on his way from the city of Sao Paulo to a house he owns on the coast when the robbery happened at the entrance of a tunnel. The robbery took place at the beginning of June. Police say there is frequent traffic congestion in the area, and that gangs from a nearby favela (shanty town) often take advantage of this to stage robberies. According to the newspaper Estado de Sao Paulo, Pele's car was surrounded by 10 armed men who took his gold necklace, a mobile phone and a watch. Pele was in the passenger seat of his car. According to his spokesman, when the gang recognized the former player they gave the driver back some items they had taken from him. The former Brazilian football star was not so lucky, as the gang then decided to flee on foot with his valuables. Pele, who is said to have remained calm during the robbery, apparently believed the men were high on drugs. The local police say they were not informed about the incident. Robberies of cars stopped at traffic lights or in congestion are not uncommon in Brazil, and many wealthy families have resorted to buying bullet-proof cars as a form of protection.
T&T
Warriors Stage Amazing Comeback...Whip Bermuda 2-0
Digicel
Supporting
Bajan Youth
Cricketers
Digicel, proud sponsor of West Indies Cricket, is doing its part to help Bajan youth cricketers by employing a team of 11 cricketers during the West Indies vs. Australia Digicel Test and Digicel Twenty20, which gives them great exposure to the behind-the-scenes mechanics of West Indies cricket. The 11 youth cricketers, including a member of the West Indies Women's Team, assist Digicel's event management team with branding the Kensington Oval, distributing promotional items, managing Digicel's perimeter boards, and any other tasks that arise during the Digicel Test and Digicel Twenty20. 19-year old Shakira Selman is an all-rounder and one of four Barbadians selected to be a part of the West Indies Women's Team which is preparing to go on tour to Ireland, England and Scotland. During the Digicel Test in the Kensington Oval, Shakira had the chance to meet legendary West Indies players, fast bowler Andy Roberts and spin bowler Lance Gibbs, while working for Digicel, an experience she will not soon forget. Junior Grimes, 22 years old and an all-rounder for Wonders Cricket Club, has worked with the Digicel team since the company began its sponsorship of the West Indies in 2004. A mechanical technician, Grimes took vacation from his job so that he could work at cricket. "I enjoy working with Digicel," says Grimes. "It is a great experience for me because I like planning and organizing so I get to watch cricket and develop my management skills at the same time."
Asafa
Powell Returns To The Track
Former world 100 meter record holder Asafa Powell
made a successful return to the track with an impressive 9.96
seconds showing at the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic trials on
Saturday, June 21st. Powell, who missed the last three months
with a chest injury, won a semi-final race at the Trinidad and
Tobago trials ahead of hometown favorite and NCAA champion
Richard Thompson (10.11), who had ran 9.93 earlier this season.
Even though qualified for the final, Powell's coaches pulled him
from further final's. "That was the plan all along, for
him to run one race," Powell's manager Paul Doyle said.
"We just wanted him to get one race in before trials (Jamaica
Championships June 27-29)," he added of Powell, who will face
his Jamaican compatriot Usain Bolt for the first time in his
career. Bolt is the 100m world record holder. Doyle
said after the race, Powell told him "he felt good about the
result, but was a little timid at the start because he had not
raced for a long time."
Young
Girlz Return Home
The Jamaica national women's under-20 football squad is home after failing to get past the opening round of the CONCACAF under-20 world cup qualifiers in Mexico. The young Reggae Girlz went down 3-1 to Costa Rica and Canada. However, they acquitted themselves with a 6-0 win over Nicaragua thanks to 4 goals by Shakira Duncan who ended the tournament with 6 strikes. Assistant coach Xavier Gilbert said their best performance came last as it was the biggest win recorded by any of the teams in the group stages. "They finished on a high note... the girls were serious about not finishing at the bottom of the group." he said.